I have come to really like the movies of Cary Grant and I now own several of them.  There are still more of his movies that I haven’t seen, and I plan to keep trying to see them.  I recently watched Arsenic and Old Lace for the first time.

Drama critic Mortimer Brewster has spent years talking against marriage and even written books on the subject.  Despite that, he has fallen in love and he and Elaine Harper get married on Halloween.  Elaine lives with her father next door to the home of Mortimer’s aunts, Abby and Martha, who raised him in Brooklyn.  Mortimer and Elaine stop to share their news before leaving on their honeymoon, with Elaine going to her home while Mortimer goes to tell his aunts.

Mortimer is horrified when he finds a dead body in the house.  He thinks that his brother Teddy - who thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt - completely flipped and committed murder.  He is shocked when Abby and Martha explain that they are responsible for the dead body, as well as the twelve buried in the basement.  Things spiral even further out of control when Mortimer’s other brother Jonathan, who is a criminal that looks like Boris Karloff, returns home with his plastic surgeon Dr. Einstein.  The two men have their own dead body to hide.

Arsenic and Old Lace is based on the play of the same name by Joseph Kesselring.  I’ve never seen the play version, so I don’t know what might have been changed for the movie.  The movie was actually filmed in 1941, but not released until 1944 when the original run on Broadway was finished.  A few of the cast members from the play are also in the movie.  When I was double checking some information about the movie, I learned that Bob Hope was the first choice for the role of Mortimer.  He didn’t get the part because he was under contract with another studio.  Jack Benny and even Ronald Reagan were considered for the part that ultimately went to Cary Grant.  After seeing the movie, I think Grant was a wonderful choice.

Most of Arsenic and Old Lace takes place inside Abby and Martha’s house.  A few scenes take place right outside the house, including in the cemetery between the house and Elaine’s home.  There is a short scene at the beginning showing Mortimer and Elaine getting married.  A little later in the movie, Mortimer calls someone, and that person is shown in their office and that is really it for other locations.  The limited setting works very well for the story.  The living/dining room of the house is where most of the action takes place, and when characters leave to go into other areas of the house, it usually isn’t seen.  The movie has a limited time frame as well since everything happens in one night.

I really didn’t know much about Arsenic and Old Lace before I watched it other than that Cary Grant was in it and that it was supposed to be a comedy.  For some reason, I wasn’t expecting the movie to be as funny as it is.  Maybe that is because I’m more use to seeing Grant in movies that are more serious overall - though most of them have had at least some humor added in, usually through things that Grant does.  This movie is hilarious at times.  Just the idea of two sweet older women, known in their neighborhood for being so kind, killing off men with poisoned wine is a bit funny to begin with.  Teddy is clearly missing a few marbles and his antics are very funny.  His bedroom is at the top of the stairs, and every time he goes up there, he yells charge and races up the stairs and into his room, slamming the door behind him.  Mortimer seems to be a calm in the storm until he discovers the dead body.  Then he seems to get ever closer to a breakdown.  This is the funniest I’ve seen Grant.  His reactions to the craziness around him are priceless.  He successfully does some slapstick as well.  Some of what happens is a bit sillier, but I think it works for the movie and makes it more fun and entertaining.

The fact that Mortimer and Elaine have just gotten married does has some impact on what is happening in Arsenic and Old Lace.  Mortimer stops by to see his aunts to tell them he got married, and that is when he discovers the body and ultimately learns what his aunts have been up to.  Mortimer and Elaine don’t spend that much time together during the movie because Mortimer gets a bit distracted worrying about the dead bodies.  They do get a few affectionate scenes together and it is clear they love each other.  

The characters in Arsenic and Old Lace are wonderful.  Abby and Martha are known for doing a lot of charity work.  They consider killing the men just another act of charity.  They are really sweet and they just don’t understand why Mortimer is upset about what they have done.  Jean Adair and Josephine Hull are great in the parts.  They also played the parts in the original run of the play.  Teddy is harmless, though it is understandable why some of the neighbors are upset with certain things he does.  John Alexander, who also played the part in the original run of the show, is really good in the part.

Jonathan seems to be the outcast of the family.  Teddy, and even the aunts, have a few screws loose, but they are more humorous even with the aunts killing twelve men.  The mental issues are more scary with Jonathan since he is clearly a cold blooded killer.  He’s had plastic surgery in an attempt to blend in, but Dr. Einstein made him look like Boris Karloff.  Jonathan gets very angry whenever anyone mentions the resemblance.  Raymond Massey does a really good job with the part.   I found out that Boris Karloff actually played Jonathan in the original run of the play in addition to being an investor in it.  Peter Lorre is suitably creepy as Dr. Einstein.  He is intimidated by Jonathan and uncomfortable with some of what Jonathan plans.

Mortimer is a well known drama critic who has been against marriage for ages, even writing books about it.  He’s trying to keep the press from finding out about his marriage, so he is already a tad nervous before discovering the dead body.  He thinks a lot of his aunts and Teddy, and is trying to do everything he can to help and protect them.  He’s a very likable and entertaining character and Cary Grant is wonderful in the part.  Elaine isn’t around as much, so she isn’t as developed.  She seems nice and sweet and she is close to the aunts as well.  Priscilla Lane is good in the part.  A couple of other characters briefly turn up without them adding much to what is going on.

Main Cast

Jean Adair - Aunt Martha
John Alexander - Teddy
Cary Grant - Mortimer
Josephine Hull - Aunt Abby
Priscilla Lane - Elaine
Peter Lorre - Dr. Einstein
Raymond Massey - Jonathan

Frank Capra - Director

DVD Information

I watched Arsenic and Old Lace on DVD.  I believe there have been a few other DVD releases of the movie.  I have no idea what sort of extras they have.  There is an extra that has something to do with adapting the play into a movie that I didn’t take the time to check out.  I have noticed the movie turning up on at least one movie channel before.

Arsenic and Old Lace is a very entertaining movie that is definitely worth watching.  Fans of Cary Grant should check it out.

Cary Grant Movie Reviews
Charade ~ North by Northwest ~ Notorious ~ Suspicion ~ To Catch a Thief ~

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD